The world is threatened by – yes, by what actually? With great effort, a mysterious something in a suitcase was stolen from a Ukrainian laboratory, now it is going to be sold on the world threats market, but by whom and to whom? The nonsense term “McGuffin” was coined for the idea of an object that is as undefined as it is coveted and that gets a film story rolling. In “Operation Fortune” director and co-writer Guy Ritchie once again shows a McGuffin in its purest form.
It is enough to know that the stolen suitcase triggers the highest level of alert at MI6, the British Secret Service. And that the war-torn Ukrainians can’t help the theft. Originally the villains were named “Ukrainian baddies”, then Putin launched his war, the finished film was postponed and went back to the editing room for “sensitivity reasons”. Now the dark ones have different identities.
Be that as it may, only one man seems capable of retrieving the ominous suitcase: Enter Orson Fortune. A new character for action workhorse Jason Statham, who is apparently set to start a film series – “what a sexy name,” he once hailed. He is no longer a civil servant like James Bond, but a freelancer with his own team of specialists, which places him very close to the formula for “Mission: Impossible”.
As a private entrepreneur, however, Orson Fortune has airs and graces. He can only be lured into battle with really very expensive wines, and because of psychological problems he has to travel in a spacious private jet. Statham gives this man his usual mixture of laconic, annoyed one-liner humor and wiry efficiency, but also shows qualities as a manipulator: He blackmails Hollywood star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) with the leverage of a private misstep to enter his service at short notice .
Hugh Grant is purveyor to the court of dictators, autocrats and oligarchs
Francesco has a huge fan who is otherwise very difficult to reach – billionaire Greg Simmons. He is purveyor to the court for dictators, autocrats and oligarchs, the most successful arms dealer in the world. Hugh Grant, who joins Team Ritchie for the third time after “Codename UNCLE” and “The Gentlemen”, plays him without fear of suntan lotion, with a remarkable mixture of boyish enthusiasm and criminal chutzpah. If he doesn’t know where the suitcase is – who does?
The ruse succeeds, soon Orson, Danny and their comrade-in-arms Sarah (Aubrey Plaza) are cavorting around the arms dealer on super yachts and in Turkish villas. Here it becomes clear that Guy Ritchie’s productions have long been a kind of family celebration. Anyone who has been invited is welcome to come again, like rapper Bugzy Malone, who is on the guest list for the second time after “The Gentlemen”, or Josh Hartnett, who was also in “Cash Truck”, the co- Writers Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, cinematographer Alan Stuart…
In this game between reality and appearance, the question soon arises as to whether arms dealers (and business people in general) are not primarily actors and what actors can learn from them. The macho bromance between the rogue billionaire and the action actor, which not even a fight over the same woman can tear apart, much less a simple McGuffin – it is the highlight of this enjoyable, not very substantial film.
Operation Fortune – Ruse de guerre, USA 2023. Director: Guy Ritchie. Book: Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies, Guy Ritchie. Camera: Alan Stewart. Rental: Leonine, 114 minutes. Theatrical release: January 5, 2023.